Secret polygamy agenda denied
Colin Espiner reports that Social Development Minister Rith Dyson is denying any secret polygamy agenda, despite a speech on the Beehive website saying the Government was moving to recognise triples.
Dyson says she never even delivered the speech, and doesn't even know what triples refers to.
To assist Minister Ruth, we provuide the following from wikipedia:
- polygamy: the practice of multiple marriage (a Greek word)
- polygyny: a man who has more than one wife (poor bastard 🙂
- polyandry: a woman who has more than one husband
- polyamory: having more than one intimate relationship at a time with the consent of all involved
- polyfidelity: multiple romantic relationships with sexual contact restricted to specific partners in a group
Of course with same sex relationships, it gets even more complicated. What is the term for a trio of lesbians all joined in a civil union? No it isn't pay per view 🙂
Asked what the Government's policy on polygamous relationships was, Dyson said: “The social security legislation is very clear about what a relationship is you're either single or a couple. A couple is in the nature of marriage, which includes civil union and de facto.
“It's been the same for years. It's been tested in court. There's no interest in changing it.”
An interesting response. The first part is stating what the law is, and the second part is merely saying there is no interest in changing it. That avoids the question of whether the Minister thinks polygamy should be legal? I mean did this speech just appear out of a vacuum?
Finally they ask Judith Collins for comment:
Collins said she was “intrigued” that the Government's new social development model “now includes something called triples, and my mind just boggles”.
Asked for her view on Government recognition of polygamy, Collins said: “I don't worry about what consenting adults get up to. I just don't expect the taxpayer to pay for it.”
Absolutely.